Pole-climber.



l. E. SCHANK.

POLE CUMBER.

APPLIcAxoN man APR. 11. 1916.

Patented Jan, 2, 1917.

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JOHN E. SCHANK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POLE-CLIMBER.

Application led April 17, 1916.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOI-1N E. SCHANK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pole-Climbers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention is concerned with climbing irons, and is designed to produce a device of the class described that can be used without discomfort to the wearer, and to this end consists of a novel structure and combination of elements, all as will be hereinafter f described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

T o illustrate my invention, l annex hereto a` sheet of drawings in which the same reference characters are used to designate identical parts in all the figures, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the iron as applied to a foot, shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is a centrally vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the parts loose, as they would be seen from the left-hand side or Fig. 1 if the strap were unbuckled and straightened out.

ln carrying out my invention, l employ the generally Leshaped iron 10, composed of a fiat bar, and provided at its upper end with suitable means for-.securing it about the calf of the leg of the user, such, for instance, as the staple 11 projecting from the outside of the iron toward the adjacent leg, and having a strap and buckle 12 passed therethrough, so that the strap can be tightened up as may be necessary to secure it on any sized calf to which it may be applied.

Below the straight upper portion of thel iron r10, is the slightly curved portion 13 which has the spike 14 secured thereto and projecting downward and outward, so that it may be stuck into a po-le by bowing the leg outward and pushing the foot down. Beneath this curved portion 13 is the flat portion 15 on which the bottom of the shoe rests, and beyond this is the short vertical portion 16; the curved portion 13, the hori- Zontal portion 15, and the short vertical portion 16 forming a sort of stirrup for the shoe, indicated by dotted lines. Secured on the outer side of the short vertical portion 16 is the shallow staple 18.

The connections for securing the lower portion of the iron in place preferably con- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

Serial No. 91,680.

sist of the metallic ring 19 permanently secured in the staple, and having passed therethrough the loop 2O of the vertically ext-ending strap 21, which has its upper inner end 22 permanently secured to a horizontal strap 23, as by rivet 24 passed through the two straps. The strap 21 is provided with the customary buckle holes 25, and a buckle 26 embraces bothl sections of the strap 21 and has its prong 27 extending through two of the holes 25, and it will be obvious that by unbuckling the outer portion and varying the holes in the outer portions through which the prong 27 passes, the height at which the strap shall surround the calf of the user may be regulated. I preferably secure to the inner portion of the strap 2l the customary rectangular leather guide 28 through which both sections pass, to hold thev two parts of the strap closely together.

T he horizontally extending strap 23 is provided with the customary holes 29 at one end, and at the other end has secured thereon the customary buckle 30 the prong 31 of which cope ates with the holes 29 in securing the strap 23 with any desired degrees of tightness about the calf of the user above the ankle., so that it will not bind on the ankle and be uncomfortable in use. To further protect the ankle of the user against any possible chaflng, l preferably employ the ankle pad 32, the general shape of which isv seen in Figs. 1 and 3, and which is secured to the vertically extending strap 21 preferably by a pair of rivets 33, and also to the horizontally extending strap preferably by a. pair of rivets 34. This pad 32 is preferably made of a light sole leather, having just enough Flexibility to accommodate itself to the ankle which it covers, and sufficient stiffness to protect the ankle from the friction which might otherwise result from the above described flexible connections between the iron and the horizontally extending strap 23.

The use of the irons will be readily apparent, and when they are placed on the feet, with the construction shown and described, it will be found that they operate. very elficiently and with a minimum of discomfort to the user.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with the generally l.-shaped leg iron having a spike at the angle thereof, of

securing means at the top of the iron, and securing means toward the bottom of' the iron consisting of flexible connections with the lower end of the iron opposite the spike extending up above the ankle, and a horizontally extending strap adapted to encircle the cali' of the user and include the upright portion of the iron, said strap being-secured to the upper end of the flexible connections.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with the generally L-shaped leg iron having a spike at the angle thereof, of securing means at the top of the iron, an Lip-turned end of' the horizontal portion of the iron, a staple projecting from the outer side of the up-turned end, a ring in the staple, a vertically extending strap connected to the ring, and a horizontally extending strap connected to the vertical strap to encircle the leg above the users ankle.

3.k In a device of the class described, the

lcombination with the generally 'L-shazped a buckle connecting both sides of the strap above the loop, said buckle serving to regulate the length ofthe loop, and a horizontally extending strap havingk a buckle at one end and holes at the other riveted to the inside upper end of the vertically extending strap.

In Witness whereof, I ha'vehereunto set iny hand and aiiixed my seal, this 12th vday of April, A. D. 1916.V 1 g JOHN E. SCHANK. [1.. s] Witness: Y

JOI-IN HOWARD MCELROY.

(L'opiesl of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I atents,

Washington, D. C. 

